South Dakota's Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration 2020

South Dakota's Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration 2020 was a fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore held on July 3, 2020, the day before Independence Day. It was notable for featuring the first use of fireworks at the site since 2008 and for being held amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration 2020
President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump as they arrive on stage, below Mount Rushmore during the Fourth of July Celebration
DateJuly 3, 2020 (2020-07-03)
VenueMount Rushmore
LocationKeystone, South Dakota, U.S.
Coordinates43°52′44″N 103°27′35″W
Organised byDonald Trump

The event had a large crowd in attendance who did not social distance and were not required to wear masks, despite recommendations to do so by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other science experts, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, masks were handed out and attendees were given temperature screenings (despite COVID-19 being able to be spread by asymptomatic individuals).[1][2] President Donald Trump spoke at the event, with other politicians and notable names including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Host of Entertainment Tonight Mary Hart, First Lady Melania Trump and Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. in attendance. Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle also attended, despite having tested positive for the coronavirus that same day.[3][4] Trump's remarks at the event covered his deploying of law enforcement to protect monuments, repeatedly expressed his support for a "God", largely ignored the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and included a reiteration to build "the wall".[5] The speech, as described by Matthew Rowley, is all about 'the power of positive history'—by focusing on what made America great, Americans will be moved to greatness; by focusing on failure, Americans will become harsh, judgmental and intolerant. Although the George Floyd protests form the backdrop to Trump's words, the President nowhere mentions police brutality. 'In other words', writes Rowley, Trump seems to argue that 'America is great because it removed the knee from the slave's neck, not wicked because it knelt over the slave for centuries'.[6]

See also

References
  1. Shaw, Adam (July 3, 2020). "Trump to kick off Independence Day weekend at Mt. Rushmore amid anti-monument push from activists". Fox News. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  2. Bowden, Ebony (July 3, 2020). "President Trump, Melania to kickoff July 4 weekend at Mount Rushmore". New York Post. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  3. Calicchio, Dom (July 4, 2020). "Kim Guilfoyle tests positive, Don Jr. negative, for coronavirus, Trump campaign confirms". Fox News. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  4. "Donald Trump Jr's girlfriend tests positive for coronavirus, reports say". The Independent. July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  5. "Remarks by President Trump at South Dakota's 2020 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration - Keystone, South Dakota". whitehouse.gov. July 4, 2020. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020. That is why I am deploying federal law enforcement to protect our monuments, arrest the rioters, and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law. (Applause.)
  6. Rowley, Matthew (2021). Trump and the Protestant Reaction to Make America Great Again. London: Routledge. pp. 80–83. ISBN 978-0-367-67684-1.
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